This Is Something Interesting to Read

Since there has been so much amazingness happening this week, I realized that I couldn't do my usual and talk about just one thing. As a result, I present to you five cool things to fill your day with awesome. Five! :D

I was going to call this "Internet Grab Bag", but that wasn't working for me, so I asked my sister for help. The exchange went like this:

Me: What's a good title for this? You know, something that says 'this is something interesting to read'.

Her: If you call it 'This Is Something Interesting to Read', I will love you forever.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for love.

1. Q&A on Every Day an Adventure

Sarah Bates of Every Day an Adventure interviewed me for her blog, and it's finally online! You can read it here.

Be sure to check out more than just that post. Sarah's got an awesome blog, and it would behoove you to read ALL the things. Yes, behoove.

Also, I highly recommend checking out her store, Playful Explorers. She's got a wicked sense of humour (I love her various bags of holding).

2. Theme Songs for the Fantasy Series

Music is hugely important to me, so I've decided to find a theme song for each and every book in my fantasy series. I was going to share the list, but then I found songs for major characters that made it so that I have to change the theme songs for two books. In light of that, here's what I can share:


The theme song for Adren, the main character (she is featured on the concept cover art for book 1, Hidden in Sealskin):

Yes, I know that this song was on Snow White and the Huntsman but, when I was listening to it all the way through for the first time, the realization that this is Adren's song came so strongly that I could barely breathe. In moments like those, you don't protest. You just go along with it.

The theme song for Nadin, the other major character in book 1: 

We won't get to see inside Nadin's head during Hidden in Sealskin, so this might seem like an odd choice, but I assure you that this is his song.

The theme song for the entire series:

I Alone by Random Rab (the link goes to Soundcloud, where you can listen to the whole song. Unfortunately, I could not find it on Youtube.)

Coming soon:

A list of the theme songs for all ten books of the series. This might not come all at once, but the list for the first three books is definitely on the horizon, just as soon as I figure out that pesky song for book 2.

3. A Writing Breakthrough

I mentioned earlier how I've been stuck with my planning for book 4, and have been for months, but I am happy to say that this is no longer the case!

See, all the previous books will primarily be from Adren's point of view, but this one is going to be entirely from Nadin's point of view (why? Because I can, and it's a cool story). The thing is, Adren and Nadin are very different from each other.

With Adren, I kept asking myself "Ok, what happens next?", because Adren is more action-oriented. She is nearly incapable of sitting and doing nothing for long periods of time -trust me, she tries.

Nadin, on the other hand, is motivated by learning. While Adren thinks as she acts, Nadin has to think before he does anything.

The reason I got blocked is because I was approaching this story as if Adren was the main character, which was completely the wrong way to go about it. Thus, blockage.

Now?

Once I figured that out and got more comfortable with who Nadin is and how he works, planning started being able to happen again. So, yay! No premature death of this series! (Because that would really, really suck.)

My goal is to have the outline for book 4 done by Monday, as well as continue my editing of Hidden in Sealskin.

4. The Zombie Alphabet Book

A friend of mine, Erica Wilk, recently reminded of the existence of her Etsy shop, and I found again The Zombie Alphabet Book. I remember seeing the first copy before it was available to buy, and it's a beautifully made, screen printed hard cover. Inside, we get the alphabet according to zombies, accompanied by quirky drawings, and the whole thing is filled with a pervading, wonderfully twisted sense of humour.

Right now, the listing says that there's only one copy left. I hope that's not the case. It's a delightful book, especially for those who love anything to do with zombies.

Click here to check it out.

5. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

I've been following a web series on Youtube called The Lizzie Bennet diaries, which is a fun, modern take on Pride and Prejudice -done as a vlog! Hank Green and Bernie Su are the masterminds behind the direction and script for this show, and they really have done an excellent job with this story.

While we have yet to see Darcy (although we hear plenty about him), most of the major characters have appeared, and all the actors have been giving excellent performances. A week or so ago, there was an episode involving Jane's reaction to Bingly (Bing Lee in the show) leaving town and... wow. Such an amazing performance. The emotion was perfect.

Here's the first episode:

The next episode is called "My Sisters: Problematic to Practically Perfect", and you can watch it here.


Well, that's all from me for this week. Have a good one!